Tuesday, 28 July 2009

One of the many pleasures offered by London is that of discovering quirky places no one seem to know about and seemingly held in some quaint timewarp.

The Sands Films Studios in Rotherhithe are just one such place. Housed in some unprepossessing Grade II listed former granary, Sands Films Studios were founded in the 1970's and offer film production facilities as you may expect but also a cinema club (free) and a renowned costume-making workshop.

You will have seen their creations in such films as Little Dorrit (1988), Vanity Fair (2004), The Phantom of the Opera (2004), Pride and Prejudice (2005) or Fingersmith (2005) and many others.

The quaintest and most interesting part of the complex however is without a doubt the adjacent Picture Research Library.

Neatly tucked on the ground floor of the oldest part of the building, its ceiling supported by 18th century reclaimed ships' timbers, imagine a giant scrapbook of thousands of images, photographs and other magazine clippings brought together in a serendipitously haphazard way and covering subjects as varied and far apart as advertising and packaging to costumes, via domestic utensils, nature, transport or war.

Add to that a collection about local history and you may get a picture (!) of this visual cornucopia used by researchers, stage and fashion designers as well as local school kids.

The staff there (probably volunteers for the most part) is incredibly friendly, welcoming and passionate, and, although what looks a caf in actually a staff canteen, Neil, a propah cockney (although his mum is apparently from Norwich) who seems to be the manager there, will probably let you have a bite if you ask nicely and will later come and sit with you with a nice cuppa and have a good old chinwag.

Neil assures us that the best time for a visit is on Tuesdays, when Olivier, the enthusiast in charge, is at hand and able to guide you through his treasures.

Whether it is a Tuesday or not however, if you find yourself near Rotherhithe, do drop by and have a look at this hidden London gem.

The library is open every week days from 10.30 till 4.00. Access is free.for more information visit: www.sandsfilms.co.uk

Late June 2011... The owner of the building housing the Rotherhithe Picture Library and Sands Films Studio wishes to redevelop the site to maximize income (Luxury flats above Starbuck and Tesco Express?)Sands Films has therefore launched an urgent share offer scheme to raise the capital to buy the property. This is done under an HMRC's EIS scheme which gives a 30% tax relief back to the investors. Sands only has a few weeks to get this going... Contact them if you wish to know more and support them: www.sandsfilms.co.uk

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